Appalling!

It isn't appalling that Senator Lisa Murkowski has finally seen a little bit of light on health care for Alaska's Veterans and military personnel returning from combat, including members of our state's National Guard units. Absolutely not.

What is appalling is how many of our serving politicians - on the Federal and state levels - have failed our military members, families and Veterans, time after time after time.

But what is even more appalling is listening to the 15-minute segment of an interview between the editors of the Anchorage Daily News and Senator Murkowski this past weekend, where she was questioned on this particular issue. Murkowski has gotten pretty wonky on the subject, and talks the talk. But, as I listened to the editors' session a second time, I realized that:

1) They don't appear to know squat about this very important issue and its many ramifications.

2) They were softballing her on her votes over funding for Veterans during her 59 months in the U.S. Senate.

The editors might have started by asking Sen. Murkowski the questions posed by the sole commenter - somebody snarkily named Baranofowner - at the ADN's well-hidden niche, called Inside Opinion:

She rubber stamped everything Bush wanted,

and now she's blaming Bush for not showing more leadership. His leadership worked perfectly, he led her around by her leash. As to her impassioned report, Lisa Murkowski voted against veterans, it's not what she says but what she does we should consider.

Who cares what she says, when she votes against:

$14 billion for the Veterans Benefits Administration for Compensation and Pensions for the years of 2006 through 2010

$6.9 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the Veterans Health Administration for Medical Care between the years 2006 through 2010

$1 billion for the establishment of the Veterans Hospital Improvement Fund An additional

$500 million for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010, to be used for readjustment counseling, related mental health services, and treatment and rehabilitative services for veterans with mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance use disorder.

And, she voted against inflation proofing future funding for health care for former members of the Armed Forces. But she gives really good impassioned reports.........

Good points, all of them.

The ADN coverage of the hearing was by Lisa Demer, although I can't find her story in a Google search. It isn't the frontline troops there who aren't up to speed on this. It is the editors, in their continuing quest to attenuate the biggest political shift in our state's history. Other Alaskans in the political sphere don't have interest in meeting their responsibility on these issues either, and the ADN has often dropped the ball on keeping abreast of this.

I've been after State Senator Charlie Huggins for about two years to adapt legislation passed in other states mandating thorough testing of all our National Guard soldiers coming home from Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait for exposure to depleted uranium. He has never responded to any of my requests, even though he chairs the committee responsible for adapting such legislation. I've written to the ADN about this, receiving no responses.

U.S. House candidate Diane Benson attended Sen. Murkowski's hearing. As the mom of a disabled Vet, it would seem natural. But Benson is far more involved in these issues than any political aspirant here, and is at least as dedicated as Sen. Murkowski.

Particularly in the matter of care for Native American Vets and their families. Benson recently spearheaded efforts at the 64th National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) to push a resolution to passage in defense of Native American Veterans and their families. Additionally, her resolution and the resultant research team's efforts will attempt to approach these issues in a holistic way that helps the Veteran and the Veteran's family deal with complex physical and mental health problems.

The Chugiak-Eagle River Star, a newspaper very aware of Veterans and military issues featured Benson's efforts in an article last week.